MENA IT spending to hit $169bln in 2026
Mim Burt, Practice Vice President at Gartner, said the MENA region is rapidly emerging as a global technology hub, as GCC countries leverage their advanced infrastructure and forward-looking policies to attract global partners and build digital capabilities that fuel innovation and support resilient, AI-enabled economies.
Despite global economic and geopolitical uncertainty, CIOs in the region are making strategic investments in artificial intelligence, intelligent automation, multi-cloud strategies, enhanced cybersecurity, and workforce upskilling.
Gartner predicts that spending on data centre systems in the MENA region will increase by 37.3 percent in 2026, making it the fastest-growing IT segment. However, growth will be slower this year as the market transitions from rapid expansion to gradual and sustainable investment.
Eyad Tachwali, Vice President of Advisory at Gartner, said spending on data centre systems is expected to rise in parallel with increased investments by CISOs in the region in AI-powered software and updated AI infrastructure. This growth is primarily driven by the rising demand for generative AI and advanced machine learning, both of which rely heavily on robust computing capabilities for large-scale data processing.
He added that the bulk of this demand will come from governments, major cloud service providers, technology vendors, and institutions focused on developing and deploying AI models, rather than from traditional enterprises or consumers.
According to Gartner, software spending in MENA is projected to rise by 13.9 percent to US$20.4 billion in 2026, driven by the accelerating adoption of generative AI capabilities across organisations.
Gartner expects that by 2028, 75 percent of global software spending will be directed toward solutions featuring generative AI capabilities.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Etihad
3 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Future-ready UAE shows the world how foresight builds long-term resilience
5 Aug 2025 00:03 SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI) For the UAE, foresight is not only a strategic imperative but a national compass guiding institutions and communities through rapid developments and boosting long-term resilience, a leading futurist has told Aletihad . Dr. Sulaiman Al Kaabi, CEO of the Future Foresight Foundation, said foresight was no longer some obscure academic practice but had been built into governance and policymaking.'Today, the element of foresight is clearly present in every government plan or initiative,' he said.'The leadership recognises that remaining at the forefront of innovative nations requires a long-term vision and constant preparedness for unexpected changes. Foresight is not a luxury; it is part of the national identity.'An expert in strategic foresight and futures studies, Dr. Al Kaabi is the first person from the UAE and the Gulf region to join the Association of Professional Futurists (APF). He is also a member of the World Future Society (WFS). He authored the Future Foresight Encyclopaedia in Arabic, the first of its kind in the Arab represents a way of thinking — a formative value and an element of national identity, he said.'It begins from the outside in; it examines global changes and builds scenarios around them. Traditional planning [on the other hand] starts from the inside out, building on current capabilities,' Dr. Al Kaabi said. 'Foresight is the compass, and planning is the roadmap,' he said, stressing its importance in a fast-changing world of 'technological, social, and economic revolutions.'Foresight 'places the UAE in a position of initiative, not reaction'. It is evident in how the country is preparing for challenges such as AI's impact on the workforce, climate change, cybersecurity, and resource sustainability, Dr. Al Kaabi said. Foresight allows the UAE to act fast in times of crisis, with plans ready before problems arise, he said. He pointed to the UAE's swift COVID-19 response as proof of how foresight works; just as it underpins long-term goals like We the UAE 2031 and UAE Centennial 2071.'Foresight provides the country with the tools necessary to review its path and update its goals based on global developments,' Dr. Al Kaabi said. Leveraging New TechAI and big data have revolutionised how strategies are future-proofed, he added. Advanced technology now bolsters entities' ability to create 'accurate scenarios, faster decisions, and plans that can be adjusted instantly.' Future Foresight Foundation has been helping institutions build future-ready plans and stay ahead of emerging trends.'It is the first private foundation in the UAE and the Arabian Gulf to place scientific foresight at the core of its work,' Dr. Al Kaabi said. 'It specialises in conducting futures studies and developing practical, implementable scenarios.' The foundation collaborates with the public and private sectors and philanthropic organisations across the world through consultations, training courses, and strategic programmes to help them prepare for potential disruptions and capitalise on new opportunities. 'We are committed to applying globally recognised scientific methodologies and utilising the latest analytical and artificial intelligence tools to create accurate visions of the future,' Dr. Al Kaabi said. The foundation, for an instance, uses an Arab-developed foresight model based on global best practices. It uses big data and expert insights to build detailed, sector-specific scenarios. Foresight, he added, now drives progress in education, healthcare, energy, security, and the economy. Empowering the Youth Central to building future-ready strategies is empowering the youth, and the UAE has been on the right track when it comes to highlighting the importance of looking ahead. 'Young people are the fuel and engine of any real change… We must empower them to become the makers of the future,' Dr. Al Kaabi the country, foresight is being embedded in education, he added. 'We need foresight to be a fundamental component of the educational process, not just an additional subject or a side activity. With the UAE's clear vision and a future-focused mindset, the country has become 'an international reference in future thinking.' Dr. Al Kaabi said.
The National
5 hours ago
- The National
Jordan has slump in visitors to Petra during Gaza war
Jordan has had a sharp drop in visitors to its ancient city of Petra and other sites since war broke out in Gaza almost two years ago, it was revealed on Monday. Figures released by the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority show visitors dropping from almost 1.2 million in 2023 to fewer than 460,000 last year – a decrease of about 61 per cent. "We feel the repercussions of the aggression on Gaza every day, especially for providers of tourism services," Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat, the director of the national tourism board, told TV channel Al Mamlaka. Mr Arabiyat said tourism from Europe and North America has hit a record low, dealing a devastating blow to the hotel industry and tour operators around Petra, in Jordan's south. According to figures from the Petra tourism authority carried by official media, 32 hotels have had to shut down and almost 700 people have lost their jobs. Although Jordan does not share a border with Gaza, it is among many countries across the Middle East affected by the war between Israel and Hamas. The kingdom has worked with the UAE to fly food into Gaza and sought to use its diplomatic influence to bring about a ceasefire. Petra, famous for its stunning temples hewn from rose-pink cliff faces, is a Unesco world heritage site. The Jordanian economy relies on revenues from the kingdom's tourism sector, which accounts for 14 per cent of gross domestic product. Jordan's tourism board had hoped to keep numbers steady from a pre-war figure of 5.4 million visitors a year across the country. Mr Arabiyat told The National in May 2024 that "we need to at least maintain this number this year, and we hope it will not decrease". Last August, it was revealed that Middle East plane tickets issued in a 10-day period during the height of summer were seven per cent down year on year, with Jordan and Lebanon suffering the biggest drops.
The National
5 hours ago
- The National
Anti-tech extremism: How AI could become target of political violence
Major investment in artificial intelligence in countries around the world, along with the societal changes it causes, could lead to a surge in anti-technology extremism, an expert has warned. Author and technology researcher Mauro Lubrano said that various issues brought about by AI development, such as job losses, might prompt anarchists and eco-terrorists to increase their attempts to make their message more public. "They believe that technology is a system that is beyond reform and cannot be changed, therefore, it must be dismantled. And they believe the only way to dismantle is to try and accelerate its collapse," Mr Lubrano said on Monday during a discussion hosted by the George Washington University programme on extremism in Washington. He said the potential for AI to disrupt labour, combined with other issues such as the burden it places on energy grids and the environment, means that elements of the far left and far right might be easily co-opted by groups with an extremist anti-technology agenda. That could come in the form of violence and attacks against infrastructure, said Mr Lubrano, who wrote the book Stop the Machines: The Rise of Anti-Technology Extremism. He warned that data centres, which have become a symbol of economic aspirations in parts of the world, could also become a target for extremist groups. "Technology extremism is quite flexible," Mr Lubrano said, comparing it to the recent anti-vaccine movement. "There's also a Maoist interpretation of anti-technology, whereby they say, 'We need to retreat to the parts of the country' where technology is less strong, and sort of build up strength, build up momentum, and carry out an assault on the centre of technologies." He said that while researching his book, learning about the groups emerging in the anti-technology extremist movement proved difficult because of their paranoia of anything remotely mainstream, but that paradoxically, because they use technology so much, he was able to gather ample source material. "You will find their manuals online on how to take down technology and so on, and these extremists are completely aware of the irony and and they also provide justifications for it," he said. Unlike other extremist movements, Mr Lubrano warned, the increasingly quickening pace of change could give anti-technology extremism significantly more staying power. A recent poll from the Pew Research Centre showed an increasing chasm between experts and the general public in terms of enthusiasm for AI in the US. Experts surveyed by Pew Research were significantly more likely - 56 per cent compared with 17 per cent - than the average American to say that AI would have a "very or somewhat positive" impact in society over the next 20 years. Pew data also showed that 73 per cent of experts believed AI will have a positive impact on how people do their jobs, while only 23 per cent of the general public felt that way. Mr Lubrano said that while many concerns about anti-technology extremism are legitimate and worth following up, those seeking to destroy the technological world will probably fail. He said history has shown those with 'realist views' about technology, along with government interventions to regulate its impact, have always managed to succeed in winning over hearts and minds. "We cannot get rid of technology but we can revisit the way that we interact with it to promote activities that foster a more meaningful relationship with one another and with nature," he said. Mr Lubrano said there was no indication that law enforcement agencies are incapable of dealing with a rising anti-technology extremist threat. Some level of violence, he said, will always be present "given the nature of many living in a democratic society", adding that "good intelligence" and "good law enforcement" have been able to disrupt similar threats in the past.
